Today i was under my car , changing my fuel filter. Well i grabbed ahold of my U - joint coming from the transmission and the shaft going into the Tranny moved up and down. Is this bad?

 

Some side play of the driveshaft yoke at the transmission is normal, but excessive movement could be due to a worn output bushing.

If the transmission output seal is not leaking and you are not getting a vibration, I would not be too concerned. Even with a brand new output bushing there still will be some play. I do not have any specs handy, but I would say any play more than 1/8" would be cause for concern and justify a new output bushing.

 

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I noticed while I was changing my oil today that there is quite a bit of play in my output shaft and the rear seal is leaking. Just how involved is it to replace the bushing and seal? Is it something that can be done with the transmission in the car?

 

The seal can easily be changed in the car. It is an inexpensive seal- I think is cost me less than $5. The output bushing can also be changed in the car, but the right tools are needed. Snap-on makes a special puller for removing the output bushing while in the car- I bought one on ebay for $50. Driving the new bushing in also requires special tools- or you can do what I did: I took an old driveshaft yoke, slipped the old bushing over it, put a ring clamp over the old bushing to keep it from splitting, and used the yoke to drive in the new bushing. It is a trick I learned from an old mechanic and it works great. You could probably get a used yoke at the junkyard for next to nothing.

I do not know how bad your driveshaft play is, but if you do not have a vibration problem, you may want to just change the seal and keep and eye on it. I say this because I thought I had a lot of play in my output shaft, but after I installed the new bushing, there was still about the same amount of play as with the bushing with 112k on it. Changing the bushing was a waste of time and money, except it was a learning experience.

 

Thanks formula_pilot.

Is the bushing pressed onto the output shaft or into the extension housing? Would it be easier if I took the extension housing off?

I do feel a little vibration at certain speeds. How much play would you call too much? I can't find any specs for it in my manual. I'd say I have about 1/8" of play...maybe a bit more.

Would this seal installer be ok?
http://www.etoolcart.com/index.asp?P...OD&ProdID=4034

 

My car has between 1/16 and 1/8 play in the output shaft as measured at the u-joint. No issues with the output shaft. The seal is pressed into the extension housing. There is no need to remove the extension housing just to change the seal. Some people use flathead screwdrivers to pry the seal out. The original seals can be a bit of a pain to get out, you have to bend them up pretty good before they come loose. There is no need to buy a special tool to install the seal- I used a hammer and a piece of wood dowel and it tapped in easily. A dead blow hammer would also work. Just align the seal and tap around the outside metal ring evenly and it goes right in.